The Lincolnshire Bird Club

The vast majority of my birding lately has been spent at Fiskerton Fen Scrapes.
Compared to this time last year I've seen considerably fewer species of waders.
Why could this be?

With this year's heavy rainfall will the waders be dispersed over a wider area eg a greater choice of locations to feed?
Do the higher water levels at these scrapes make finding food harder, so they've moved away to a location where food is easier to find?
Or have I simply gone on the wrong day/hour? I do often have the nagging feeling at the back of my mind, as I walk back to the car, that as soon as I drive away vast flocks of birds will fly in to settle right in front of the hide.

The last sentence made me laugh..i think the same..i even used to close the hatches in birdhide..wait..then open them again..low & behold..still nothing!

The high water levels are also reducing the normal nest sites of ground nesting birds like wader. In brigsley I have come across 2 floating eggs in the skylark stronghold. I'm sure other ground nexting birds are being affected aswell.

Andy I to find myself closing and opening the hide window especially at Far ings just incase a Bittern decides to walk out in the channel you never know

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http://anthonybentleywildlifephotography.blogspot.com/

UK life list 310 (Harlequin Duck)
Lincolnshire List 246 (Puffin)
Village (Brigsley) list 99 (Shelduck)

Thanks Anthony

I always walk quickly to the hide but on the return journey walk slowly and constantly turn around to see what might be behind me. Have to laugh at myself sometimes.

This year at the Scrapes I still haven't seen any Lapwing youngsters whilst at this time last
year there were lots of them (and that was following a hard winter).
For me it's what makes bird watching so enjoyable, not just trying to identify a bird but also trying to figure out what I'm seeing.